Hammer

Hey there, just wanted to check in and let you know that I'm still interested in joining your OOC linkshell, I've just had rotten luck being online at the same time as the characters you've listed (U'assa Sinbre, U'neassa Sinbre or Talon Morrigan). I'll keep trying!

Hey there, I'm that troublesome non-roleplayer Rosehip is talking about up above. I haven't roleplayed in a few years, but I'd classify myself as RP-friendly, and would do my part to support the guild's activities even if I never get involved in the RP myself. So my friends and I are considering your guild, and we'd love a chance to get to know some of the members to see if our personalities mesh. Your original post mentions an OOC linkshell. Is that still a possibility? Otherwise, is there a time we could meet and chat in-game? Thanks!

Hey Stormsrageoo! Glad to have you here on Balmung! If you see Thundering Hammer running around, please feel free to say hello! I loved LotRO as well, but I ran into the same problem you did with not being able to find a consistent group. I played for a few months after release, and then only came back for small patchy spots here and there. It was a great game. I liked all the little RP touches, like the smokeable pipeweed with different smoke graphics depending on quality. I read the most interesting theory on Tom Bombadil the other day! You can find it here. However, the text is kind of hard to read, so I'll just insert it under a spoiler:

Welcome, Lumine! I'm glad you bested your social anxiety and emerged from lurking. I'm afraid you won't find much slaughter here, though. Folks are pretty friendly, in my experience. I'm also new to both the game and RPC. If you see me running around on Balmung, please feel free to say hi!

Excellent! I love it when roleplayers venture into the moral grey. Welcome, Berechar! I hope to see you around sometime. Feel free to poke me in-game if you're inclined.

I tend to favor events with a purpose beyond socializing, so your sermon idea is very appealing to me. It has lore relevance, learning potential, and enhances immersion, too. You also have the option of opening the floor up to other attendees to share their unique take on their faith in the Twelve. That can be a bit risky -- I'd recommend a time limit, and/or have people sign up in advance and have their story prepared. In general, lore-relevant events seem to have the benefit of (a) helping to bring shy role players like myself out of their shell by giving us a task to focus on, and (b) sparking deeper roleplay by forcing characters to react to uncommon events. It takes a little more effort on the part of the organizer, but I've always seen these events get great receptions, and they're usually well-remembered. Here are a few other event ideas I have either run or attended which seemed to work out very well: - refugee assistance programs - political or social rallies - "Occupy [city]" events where a big group spreads out around a single city (or district within a city) and roleplays out daily life or whatever they feel like doing - historical lecture series - training workshops and classes - pilgrimages - holiday celebrations and performances The most important thing is to invite audience participation. For a show, this might be as simple as having a fashion contest section where characters are invited to participate by being a contestant, or by voting for the winner. For a sermon, you might keep the sermon itself short in order to leave time at the end for characters to mingle and discuss their opinions on what they heard. I have done a few large-scale adventuring/quest type events, and I have mixed feelings on them. The main challenge is balancing the adventuring momentum with the slower speed of large group roleplay. One solution for this is splitting people into smaller groups of 4-5 people and assigning each group a different task. Then everyone can reconvene at the end and share the spoils together. Honestly, facilitating smaller group roleplay in larger events is probably a good idea no matter what you're doing. The main complaint I've seen about public events is that there's too much text scroll to keep up with. The trick is finding ways to group people up with characters they've never met before -- otherwise they'll just stick with their clique. Anyway, that was a long-winded reply to a short question. I hope something in there helps, and good luck with your sermons! I'll be keeping an eye out for your future events.

Welcome to Balmung, Euphina! Your list of RP involvements looks a bit like mine. Like you, I remember those days fondly. Although I wouldn't necessarily say that I miss it enough to want to get back into RP to the degree that I was into it over the last decade. I'd have to sacrifice all of my other hobbies and friends in order to do that. But I'll always have good memories. Anyway -- Your characters sound neat, and you've listed two of my favorite female TV show protagonists for Una's inspiration. I think you get a potion after you pay for your first month of game time that allows you to change any aspect of your character, including their name (maybe?). That might save you from needing to re-roll her.

Hello and welcome, fellow programmer! Hope to see you around. What server are you on?

Hello Lyrielle, and congratulations on de-lurking! I'll keep an eye out for your art thread. Looking forward to seeing what you've done. Please say hello in-game if you have the inclination!

Hello and welcome, Star Lin! I'll echo the celebration of more Roe dames on Balmung. I'm a newcomer to the RP scene myself! Shoot me a message in-game if you're inclined -- I'm always open to finding more people with whom to share a friendly headbutt. *quickly write down name* I'll make sure to find you in game. Sounds like a fun LS, Kest is still trying to find a restaurants with large enough utensils and it never hurts to find out a new way to crush bone into powder. I must have missed the bone-crushing conversation, and I wish I hadn't! I keep finding myself with little piles of bone dust IRL, and I have no idea what to do with it. It has such a nice color and it seems a shame to just throw it away...

Welcome, Asgarn! I think I recognize that name from Broken Chairs. Glad to have you on the site! Sounds like we have a lot of the same MMO experience, too. I like your unique take on White Mage. So does he not use magic at all, from an in-character perspective? Any link to the Conjurer's Guild?

Oh, oh! I'm down for face-punching action! Let's rumble!! Hammer isn't very good at it (yet) but she'll get an A+ for effort to accompany her broken nose and black eyes. Seji, not sure what your ridiculous sleep and play times are, but I have a very early EST bedtime and I'm usually on very early in the morning. If that matches your schedule and you see me running around, please say hi!

Welcome, Sarlorius! I like to develop characters as I go, too. I'm still chiseling away at Hammer. Please don't be shy about asking questions! There are lots of helpful people and resources here for you to draw upon.

Hey Elyscia! Welcome to RPC, and Balmung! I'm glad you took the plunge and introduced yourself. There has been a lot of really great advice in this thread already, so I'll just add one quick tip that has helped me overcome social anxiety both in roleplay and in real life (as I am quite shy myself!): Go out and do things with others. Don't just sit around a tavern where your sole objective is socializing. When there is another activity to concentrate on, you'll feel less like the focus is on you, and there is less pressure to be socially entertaining. The focus shifts outward instead of inward. I find I'm most socially comfortable when I'm at practice, or volunteering. And it works for roleplay too! Get in on those IC dungeon runs, and roleplay while you fight your way through. Find an adventuring partner for questing. Or invent roleplay activities: invite someone to go on a walk around Limsa Lominsa restocking lantern oil. I dunno. Many possibilities! Whatever you do, I hope you are able to break out of your shell a bit, because there are lots of people around here who are looking for friends and would love to get to know you!

Welcome, Jin! Glad to have you joining us on Balmung. Feel free to say hello if you see my character wandering about, assuming you can do so without giving yourself a crick in the neck.